Nineveh Plain Protection Units

Nineveh Plain Protection Units
ܚܕܝ̈ܘܬ ܣܬܪܐ ܕܫܛܚܐ ܕܢܝܢܘܐ Participant in the Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
Emblem of the NPU.
Active	December 2014–Present
Leaders	Yonadam Kanna
Area of operations	Nineveh plains Northern Iraq
Size	5,000 (reserves), 1,000 (active)
Part of	Assyrian Democratic Movement[1]
Allies	Iraqi Armed Forces
Opponents	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Battles and wars	Iraqi Civil War (2014–present) Battle of Mosul

The Nineveh Plain Protection Units (Syriac: ܚܕܝ̈ܘܬ ܣܬܪܐ ܕܫܛܚܐ ܕܢܝܢܘܐ‎ Ḥḏāywāṯ Setārā d-Šṭāḥā d-Nīnwē; Arabic: وحدات حماية سهل نينوى‎) or NPU is a military organization that was formed late in 2014, largely but not exclusively by Assyrian Christians in Iraq to defend themselves against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.^[2] The Nineveh plains is a region where Assyrians in Iraq have traditionally been concentrated.^[3]

Statistics

By December 2014, the group said it had between 500 and 1000 men in training, that the US was helping train them, and that financial support was coming mostly from Assyrians in the US and Europe.^[2][3] In February 2015 there were unverified reports that the group had 5,000 Assyrian men registered to be trained, 500 are already training for combat, and 500 volunteers from the group stationed in threatened towns.^[1][4]

Activities

In May 2016, NPU participated in fighting at Tesqopa along with Peshmerga forces.^[5] In September 2016

NPU soldiers repelled an ISIL effort to retake Tesqopa.^[6]

Also in September 2016, NPU liberated the Shabak village of Badanah from ISIL, with the support of international coalition airstrikes.^{[7][8][9][10]}

In October 2016, NPU, alongside Iraqi Army forces liberated the Town of Bartella from ISIS.^[11]

On the 19th of October, 2016, NPU and the Iraqi Army liberated the Town of Bakhdida from ISIS. They currently run the security profile of the town and protected the town during its first Christmas mass in two years.^[12]

In December 2016 Jameel al-Jameel, a member of the Nineveh Plains Protection Units claimed that Kurdish soldiers at checkpoints were interrogating and preventing Assyrian NPU soldiers and civilians seeking to enter the Nineveh Plain.^[13][14]

In July 2017, NPU was involved in clashes with the Babylon Brigades, led by Rayan al-Kildani. Two days prior to the incident, NPU captured 6 members of the Babylon Brigades on allegations of stealing ancient artefacts from Mar Behnam Monastery.^[15] Babylon Brigades have since been expelled by the Iraqi Prime Minister Office & PMU High Command from all of Hamdaniya District.^[16] NPU has taken control of Mar Behnam Monastery.

See also

• List of armed groups in the Iraqi Civil War
• Assyrian Democratic Movement
• Nineveh Plain Forces
• Nineveh Plains Security Forces
• Dwekh Nawsha

References